Kate Makes Me Smile
by RedTailedHawkens
Summary: This is an Opposite Sex Fan-fiction. It takes place after The Drug Episode, and it follows Jed as he explores his feelings for Kate and as their relationship develops.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This story is called Kate Makes Me Smile. **!Warning! Spoilers!** The title comes from a line in the show, Episode three, The Drug Episode. The Drug Episode is my favorite episode of Opposite Sex. I love the Pilgrim Part, but I really love the Kate/Jed stuff. In my opinion, this is really when their relationship starts. Before this, Kate was attracted to Jed, and he knew that, so he liked her because every teenage boy is going to like a cute girl if he knows she likes him, but they did not really know each other, and we as the audience, seeing things through Jed, did not really know Kate. In this episode, we really start to get to know her. They talk and bond, get to know one another, and they sort of start to become friends. Jed is still attracted to Miranda, but that attraction is still largely superficial, as opposed to Kate. Miranda and Jed were not a bad couple, but Miranda was sort of his fantasy girl, and you can tell as the show progresses that he sort of really wants to be with Kate. So, this story is about him realizing that, and realizing how much he really likes Kate. Enjoy.

Chapter One

It was the first Monday since the thing with Greg's band. Jed had not seen Kate since that night. He remembered her crying on his shoulder, her getting lost in that stupid song his dad liked, and her laughing when the six of them had gone out to eat. He had been dying to talk to her. He did not know why exactly, but after everything that had happened last week, he just felt like he needed to.

She had not looked at him during class. He had saved her a seat during lunch, but she had opted to sit somewhere else. He did not know where, but that was the disadvantage of being allowed to eat outside instead of a crowded cafeteria. It was easier to find people inside four walls than in a wide expanse.

"Kate." He called when he spotted her, waving her over. She looked around, as if trying to find somewhere else to sit, but then she decided to just sit with him and get it over with.

"Hey Jed." She said, placing her tray down next to his.

"Hey. I wanted to call you this weekend."

"Yeah, I was kind of hiding out."

"Why?"

She looked at him like he was a moron, "Are you kidding. I made a complete idiot of myself in front of everybody."

"You didn't seem to mind at the diner."

"Of course not. I was trying to play it cool. It would have made the whole thing worse if I had been blubbering the whole time." Se took out her sandwich and took a bite.

"Really? I just figured it was because you're, you know, not into what people think."

Kate smiled, "Well, then I am an excellent actress. The truth is, I am as insecure as the next girl. But I do not want to talk about this anymore. How was your weekend?"

"Quiet."

"Sorry. For what it's worth, my weekend wasn't exactly fun hiding out alone in my room reading Les Mis."

"That's that musical, right?"

"It's based on this French book about the time just before the revolution."

"Ah, lame book club."

"Yeah, well, you can see how bored I was."

"You don't like it. I mean, the books. Just cause the club is all lame, the books-"

"No, the books, the books can be cool. This one is just… a little depressing. I mean, I know it has to be, with when it takes place, the message behind it, and the necessary controversy to provide plot's, but, you know, I figure life sucks enough, it seems kind of like masochism to read about prison and poverty. I mean, it's a social satire, not an entertainment piece, so it's not supposed to be pleasant so much as educational, but that much misery can make you crazy sometimes. It can be good, but it's not what you want to read when you are cooped up all alone for a weekend."

Jed stared at her. He had no clue what she was saying. No, that was not true, he was actually pretty good at English. If he read an English translation of the book, he was sure he could keep up, and he knew Dickens and social satire, but he was certain he would be completely lost in her book club.

"Sounds horrible."

"I just figure bad things always happen, why go looking for misery?"

"Maybe because it's somebody else's misery and misery loves company."

"That's not my favorite cliché. I prefer, when life gives you lemons, make lemon ice pops."

"I thought…isn't it lemonade?"

"Yeah, but you know, I never really liked lemonade. Although, when I was little, I did do the cliché lemonade stand thing, and must confess, I liked to put the shell in my mouth to make it really wide and yellow. It tastes kind of sour, but it's really fun."

Jed smiled. Not many people would admit something like that, but that is what he liked about Kate. Despite what she said about Friday and the Greg thing, he knew she was not afraid to do something embarrassing. She was different, and she was basically okay with it. She did all these embarrassing things that he could not understand, because they were so over his head, and he had no clue why she did them, but she did not care. And she felt comfortable telling him. He could just picture her with the lemon shell in her mouth. It was classic Kate, doing something silly and strange, but at the same time fun. Kate was not afraid to smile. She was not afraid to laugh at herself. Maybe that was why she made him smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Jed watched Miranda as she headed over to sit with him. It was after school, and the two often liked to hang out by the water fountain. He liked watching Miranda. Whenever she walked toward him, it was like she was in some sexy music video with her guitar hanging by her side. She was definitely the hottest girl in the school.

"Hey." She said, sitting beside him, her perfect brown hair falling over her shoulder.

"Hey." Jed said. He could not believe how confident he had gotten talking to a goddess like Miranda. Ever since coming to Evergreen, Jed felt his confidence had risen quite a bit…excepting last week and the Greg fiasco. Yes, Greg was still here, but things were slowly returning too normal. Or, as normal as Jed's life at Evergreen could ever hope to be.

"So, Jed, tell me honestly, why did you show up on Friday?"

"What do you mean?" Jed asked, feigning ignorance

"Come on," Miranda said, nudging him playfully. Miranda was not afraid to express herself physically. Jed liked that about her, "You hardly kept your feelings about Greg a secret, and there is no way you could have known what was going to happen. Why did you show?"

Jed shrugged, "I guess I was bored of hanging out with my dad, and you know, all my friends were there, so." Jed looked down and kicked a pebble. It was kind of lame, but it was the truth. The word lame made him think of Kate, the girl who did not care that she was lame. No, strike that, she was not lame, not exactly, she was…Kate. Jed noticed Miranda was talking, so he tried to pretend he had been paying attention.

"-logize about the whole Greg thing, the way I treated you last week. I should have been more sensitive to how you felt about the whole thing."

"What do you mean?" Jed asked, trying to get more context clues to what she had said.

"Well, Jed, it was clear you were jealous. Not that anybody could blame you. You are one of the only three guys in a school that is basically all girls, and definitely the coolest of the three. Then Greg comes along. Maybe I started to ignore you a little, but I never meant to. I just got caught up in everything Greg."

"I'm pretty sure every girl did. Which, at this school, is basically everybody."

"Still, I wasn't being a pretty good friend. I should have remembered that…well; I've known guys like Greg. I've dated guys like Greg, and they're attractive, and charming, but once all the orange coating melts off, all you have left is vanilla, which is fine, but kind of a let down. I would take the company of Jed Perry over Greg Tillman any day."

Jed thought for a minute, not knowing what to say, "So, you really think I'm the coolest guy in the school?"

Miranda laughed, "Of course," then she leaned in and touched his forehead with hers, locking eyes with him, "but don't let it go to your head."

She got up and waved goodbye to him as she headed home. Had she been coming on to him? Miranda was hard to read. Sometimes, it seemed like she just flirted with everybody, like that was just who she was. But sometimes, Jed could swear that she was flirting with him differently, like with him, maybe she really meant it. He shook his head, knowing he had to be imagining it. Of course, he would think that, Miranda was every guy's fantasy. Lord knew he fantasized about her.

He thought back to a conversation he had had with Cary earlier that day by the water fountain. It was between classes, and the boys were in line to get a drink. Miranda had let Jed cut ahead of her, and walked off with a twinkle in her eye.

"How is it that _you_ get the hottest girl in the school?" Cary had said watching Miranda leave as Jed took a drink.

"What?" Jed had asked, confused as he wiped his mouth dry with his sleeve.

Cary nodded to where Miranda had been, "She's totally into you."

Jed shook his head, "Nah. We're just friends."

"Open your eyes. She is always coming on to you, and you know it. Besides, guys and girls are never just friends." Jed rolled his eyes and started to walk away, "You know I'm right about this. May as well embrace it." Cary had said.

Jed thought about it. Could guys and girls be friends? Did he have any female friends? There was Stella, he supposed, because there was no chance of a romance there, but Stella was way to hostile to be friend. She was more like an acquaintance that he, on rare occasions, got along with. Miranda was clearly not an option. He wanted to be friends with her, but she was Miranda. And Miranda being Miranda made everything more complicated. Then, there was Kate. He guessed they were friends. He certainly knew her better than Miranda or Stella. They talked about weird things and crazy things. He knew that she spoke Italian and French, he knew she was a feminist and a protégé, and he knew that she liked eating sandwiches while sitting in the grass. He definitely knew her well enough to consider her a friend. But when they had first met, he had thought maybe she liked him. So if they were friends now, did that mean they were just friends? Could they only ever be just friends? Did he want them to be more than just friends? Did she? Maybe Cary was right. Guys and girls could not be just friends. It always got more complicated.

"Hey, Jed!" speak of the devil, "Hey, um, look, I hate to ask, but I had to stay late for this project thing I'm working on, and I missed the bus. Can I catch a ride with you and you're dad."

"How did you know my dad was giving me a ride?"

"How else would you get home? The bus left."

Jed almost smacked himself, but tried to act casual, "Right. Well, I'm sure my dad won't mind."

"Thanks." They waited, "So, why are you staying late?"

"Dad had time to pick me up today, so I figured I'd take advantage, you know?"

"Oh. Hey, you know, I looked up what we were talking about earlier, you know, about lemons and lemonade. Did you know that phrase actually isn't that old? It's not even as old the United States. In fact, an American coined the phrase, Dale Carnegie, and he was only born in the late eighteen hundreds, so, factoring in that he would have had to be in the public eye when he said it for it to catch on, it can't be any more than a hundred years old." Jed stared at her, "Sorry, I did it again, didn't I?"

"Did what?"

"Ran off like a crazy person on a tangent on some subject only I care about?"

"Nah, it's interesting. Though I have to say, I a surprised by this new side of you."

"What new side?"

"This whole, caring what people think side. Not that there's anything wrong with it, I just never thought it was part of the Kate Jacobs description to be all into what people think."

"Well, everybody cares a little what people think…and besides, it's not like I put much stock in what most people think about me."

"What about what you said about lunch, about hiding out, Friday…?"

"Oh, well that wasn't so much about caring what, you know, _people_, thought about me, just, you know, one in particular."

Jed sighed, "Ah, Greg." He said resignedly.

"Um, no, not Greg. Just some guy whose opinion of me…kind of matters." Kate looked away from him. Jed was about to ask her about what she had said, when his dad pulled up. And the moment was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

After they dropped Kate off, Jed and his dad pulled into the driveway. Jed had been pretty quiet during the ride. He kept thinking about what Kate had said. He wanted to ask her about it, but how could he? It was not the sort of thing you could just ask about, especially now that the conversation was over.

"Hey." Some girl said to him as he walked into his house. She was blond, and scantily dressed. Jed was temporarily distracted by her large breasts, which were clearly on display. When he got his mind to start working again, he politely, if a little moronically responded, "Hey," and gave lame wave, turned from her, and called out, "Rob!"

It did not take a genius to figure out why a girl who was barely wearing enough to be considered dressed was doing in his living room. She was clearly ere with Rob. His brother Rob was is college. He was something of a ladies man, though he was not very bright, but then, some girls did not really care if a guy had a brain. They were far more preoccupied with a six-pack. Besides, the girls Rob brought home where not exactly road scholars.

Sometimes, when the house was empty, Rob liked to come home with a girl and have sex. Jed had walked in on him a couple times, which had certainly not been enjoyable. But Rob had an insatiable libido and zero will power.

Jed heard his brother stomp down the stairs. He was wearing a t-shirt and by the way Rob was fusing with it, Jed could tell he had just put it back on.

"Hey, you guys have met. Jed, this is Cassidy."

The girl waved. Jed rolled his eyes, "What happened to…" Actually, he could not remember the name of the last girl his brother had brought through here. It was getting to be too hard to keep track. "Never mind. Look, can I talk to you?"

Rob shrugged and followed Jed into the kitchen, "What's up little brother?"

Jed sighed. Was he really going to ask his brother for girl advice? "I was just wondering, well, you've been with a lot of girls, right? And please, don't make your answer to crude."

Rob sighed, disappointed by Jed's restriction, "Sure. Yeah. I've been with a lot. Why?"

Jed sighed again. Well, he had already started, so it could only be full steam ahead from here. "How can you tell that they're into you?"

"Who wouldn't be?" Rob responded.

Jed rolled his eyes at his brothers ego, "Okay, but if you wet for it with a girl, and it turned out she wasn't into you, I mean, that would be pretty embarrassing."

Rob shrugged, "Never happened to me."

Jed sighed. This was getting him nowhere, "Forget it. Look, I'm going to go do some homework. Could you guys try and keep it down."

"Well, I will, but I can't make any promises about Cassidy. You know how chicks get in the throws of passion."

Jed rolled his eyes again. He tried to focus on his homework, but his mind, once again, went to Kate and Miranda, the two girls in his life.

Miranda might like him, but he had thought the before, during his first week at the school, and that had proved to be a rather embarrassing conversation when he found out she was just acting as his "big sister," as per the school's tradition for all new students. She had told him the her friends said she was always sending mixed signals to guys by accident, but that she really wanted to be his friend. And they had sort of become friends. Except that when he looked at her, he just could not see a friend. She was too fantasy girl, and she was always flirting with him. But since she flirted with everybody, he had no clue whether or not she meant it. And he did not want to be the guy publicly humiliated by Miranda Mills if he made his move and she just wanted to be friends.

Then, there was Kate. She had seemed kind of into him when he first got to evergreen, and she was certainly cute and fun to be around, but was she into him. What exactly had she said to him, _"Um, no, not Greg. Just some guy whose opinion of me…kind of matters." _Had she meant him? She sounded like she might have, but had she? And had she meant it in a platonic way, or…

Jed realized something. In his head, he had called Kate cute. Kate was cute. He thought she was cute. What did that mean? Did it mean he was interested in her, or at least attracted to her? When had that happened? He had not really thought about … but then he had been so focused on Miranda. And Kate was so not like Miranda. She was almost completely opposite. But last week, when they had been at the club, and Greg had made her cry and run out, he had felt something, and not just the increase in his hate for Greg. It was something about seeing Kate cry; seeing Kate hurting. When he had gone after her and comforted her, and she had put her head on his shoulder, and asked him if she was scaring him away, he had felt a lurch in his heart, and he did not know if it was concern, or sympathy… or something else.

He tried to think of everything that had happened since they met. What were the signs? He tried to think about Lisa, his ex, and how they had gotten together, but the circumstances were totally different. They had grown up together, and they had known each other forever. He had known her so well, and things had just happened naturally. Of course, she had dumped him when she found out he was moving so she could date college guys, so maybe he never really knew her. Did guys ever really know girls? Sometimes they seemed like another species all together. And being at evergreen was like living on their home planet. He just hoped he could survive.


	4. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Hello.

So, I know it has been a really long time since I have updated, and I apologize for that.

I have a lot of stories going right now, and it can be hard to keep track sometimes, plus sometimes there is writers block, and also life, which unfortunately gets in the way of fan fictions which we all know are more important.

I know this story does not have a lot of followers, so maybe nobody cares whether or not I update, but for those who do I wanted to assure you that while it has been a while, and I do not know how soon I will be updating, I am NOT, I repeat NOT, dropping this story.

I hate when people drop stories, and when I made my account I promised myself I would never drop one.

So, yes, it may be a while, depending on other factors, but I promise you, unless I unexpectedly die, this story and all of the others will be finished. Maybe not today, or this week, or even this month, but they will be. I understand if you don't want to wait around, because it might be a while, but I promise, I will finish these stories. I just wanted to make that clear, and apologize for how long it is taking.

Have a good day.

Sincerely,

~RedTailedHawkens


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